Bolster for railway-cars.



UNITED STATES PATENT EEICE. I

ARNOLD STUCKI, OF ALLEGHENY, PENNSYLVANIA.

BOLSTER FOR RAI LWAY-CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 685,187, dated October 22, 1901.

Application tiled May 20, 1901.

To @ZZ whom it' may concern.'

Beit known that I, ARNOLD STUCKI, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Allegheny, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Bolsters for Railway- Cars, of which the following is a specification.

The objectof myinvention is to so construct a bolster for railway-cars that it will possess the maximum of strength with the minimum of weight, will comprise parts which can be cheaply constructed and assembled, and in the case of a truck-bolster can be used in connection with spring-plank channels, springs, and arch-bars, such as are likely to be found in any of the accepted types of truck construction now employed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure lis a longitudinal section of a truck-bolster for railway-cars constructed in accordance with my invention. f Fig. 2 is a top or plan View of the same. Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line a a, Fig. l. Fig. 4 is a transverse section on the line b b, Fig. l. Fig. 5 is a sectional plan view on the line c c, Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a sectional plan View on the line d d, Fig. 4; and Fig. 7 is a longitudinal section of one end of the bolster, illustrating a modified plan of constructing the same.

Many different types of bolsters for railwaycar trucks have been devised and a number of them are now used 5 but all of such bolsters with which I am familiar aredefective in some respects, such as excessive weight or cost, insufficient strength, difficulty of construction, non-adaptability to existing truck structures, dac.; and the object of my invention has been to devise a bolster which will not be open to such objections.

A good bolster should possess certain qualities, among which'may be named, first, maximum strength and minimum weight; second, ends braced in such a way that the bending moment due to the springs is properly taken care of; third, strengthl in the direction of the end shocks upon the car; fourth, facility of construction and erection in the shops; fth, the greatest possible depth in the center, together with such restriction of width that it' can'A pass between the spring-plank channels frequently used inthe American type of car-truck; sixth, a minimum of Vertical height at the ends, so that it can be ef-I Serial No. 61,107. (No modell) fectively used even when there is but little -room between the top of the arch-bar and the Acap and chaiing-plate 4, and a center brace 5. The top and bottom members of the bolster consist ot' bars or plates, preferably channel-bars or other bars having side iianges, the flanges of the top bar being bent downward and those of the bottom bar being bent upward, but the flanges of the top bar being discontinued at the ends ot' the same and those of the bottom bar being gradually flattened out., so that said bar is likewise fiat at the ends, the flanges being gradually turned up on the same as it approaches the center, whereby the latter portion of the bottom bar is narrower than the end portions. ,While this construction is preferred, it is not essential, however, as a bolster containing some of the features of my invention can be made from-top and bottom members which are not provided with side franges and are of uniform width throughout.

The fiat end portions of the top and bottom members of the bolster lie one above the other and are secured together by rivets, which also serve to secure in place the spring-cap and chang-plate structure 4, and near each end both top and bottom bars have pockets 6 pressed therein, these pockets bearing against each other, so as to form substantial brackets for stiffening the bolster at the ends and resisting the bending moment at said ends, the pockets'also forming an additional means of connecting the upper and lower members of the bolster by means of rivets, so that a portion of the bolster which would otherwise be weak is now strong and well braced and thor- IOO ing up pockets in the bodies of the bars said brackets may be formed by properly bending down the side portions ot' the bars adjacent to the flat ends, as shown, for instance, at 6 in Fig. 7, where this feature of my invention is illustrated in connection with top and bottom members consisting of flat bars or plates. In either case, however, the brackets are in the form of pockets struck up from the members of the truss and each comprising a bot-tom web, side webs, and a transverse conneeting-web extending between said side webs at the inner end of the pocket, this construction being much stifferand stronger than a corrugation extending longitudinally throughout the truss member from a point near one end to a point near the opposite end of the same, as has been proposed. The end portion of the bolster is further strengthened by means ofthe spring-cap structure L.t-,which consists of a plate extending inwardly along the bolster to a point at or near the inner ends of the pockets 6, this plate being suitably riveted to the lower plate of the bolster and having a depending end iiange 7 and side iianges 9, so as to render it extremely stiff and rigid in its resistance to vertical strains. The side iianges of the spring-cap may be pressed outward, so as to form chafing-lugs l0 for the column-posts, or in place of thus projecting the side flanges of the spring-cap the latter may have anglebars or suitable shapes riveted thereto to form chaiing-plates.

The spring-cap structure 4 forms a pocket for the wooden springblock -1l, which is driven into the same and is retained by the central bolt l2 and a suitable nut, the latter by preference occupying a recess in the top plate of the bolster. The grain of the block 1l preferably ru ns transversely of the bolster. Hence as shrinkage in this direction does not occur the block serves as a backing or brace for the @hating-lugs 10 of the cap-plate, and thus stiiens and strengthens the same. The center brace is composed of two plates 13 with side ilanges 14 and top and bottom ilanges, the latter being riveted, respectively, to the top and bottom members of the bolster. Each plate has a pocket 15 pressed up from it, these pockets meeting at the center of the brace, as shown in Fig. 1, and being riveted together. Above each pocket is a reverse bend 16, as shown in Fig. 5, forming a circular recess for the reception of the lower portion of the king-pin, whereby the bolster is secured to the body-bolster of the car. The riveting together of the two plates 13 practically constitutes the same a single column, which is extremely rigid in its resistance to the vertical strains. The center plate 17 is in the form of a cup riveted to the top member of the bolster and having a central opening for the reception ofthe king-bolt.

Owing to the truss form of my improved bolster all of the fibers of the metal are in the most advantageous positions for resisting the strain to which they are subjected, and

as a consequence the maximum of strength can be secured with the employment of the minimum amount ofpmetal, thereby reducing the weight and saving cost, the bracing of the ends of the bolster eifectually stilening the same, so as to resist the bending moment due to the strain thereon, while the great width of the top member, especially if it is provided with flanges, as shown, qualities it to resist end shocks upon the car. Thebottom member, not having to resist such shocks, is made narrower than the top member, so that it can pass down between the spring-plank channels, this construction enabling me to make the bolster very deep in the center in order to reduce the strain on the top and bottom members.

The rivets for connecting the top and bottom members ot' the bolster together are mainly those at the ends of the bolster, and the plates being wide and thin at these points the openings formed therein for the reception of the rivets will not represent any undue percentage of the area of the plates and will not, therefore, improperly weaken the same.

All of the elements of the bolster are pressed forms, which can be readily and cheaply made by the modern machinery in use for this purpose, and the parts are united by riveting, a method which is at once the easiest, the cheapest, and the most effective.

The thickness of the end portions of the bolster, being limited to the three plates, is very slight. Hence the bolster is adapted to trucks having even the most limited amount of space between ihe springs and the top of the arch-bar, the thickness of the wooden block 1l, employed at the end of the bolster, being gaged so as to adapt the latter to the distance existing in any particular truck for which the bolster is intended, thus imparting to the bolster an element of adjustability, which is a great advantage. It will be evident, however, that a number of the features of construction of my improved bolster are applicable to body-holsters for cars as well as to truck-holsters.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. A railway-car bolster comprising upper and lower members each having pressed-up pockets forming abutting stiffening-brackets near the ends of the bolster, these pockets having closed sides, and the pocket of the upper member extending downwardly therefrom, and that of the lower member extending upwardly and abutting against the pocket gf Cthe upper member, substantially as speci- 2. A railway-car bolster comprising upper and lower members each having pressed-up pockets forming abutting stiening-brackets near the ends of the bolster, said pockets having closed sides, and the pockets of the upper member extending downwardly therefrom, and those of the lower member extending up- IOD IIO

wardly and abutting against and being riveted to the pockets of the upper member,l

substantially as specilied.

3. A railway-car bolster comprising upper and lower ian ged members having the iianges discontinued at the ends Where the members of the bolster are secured together, the members having pressed-up portions forming abutting brackets near the ends of the bolster, substantially as specified.

4. Arailway-car bolster comprising upper and lower flanged members having the flanges discontinued at the ends where the members of the bolster are secured together, the members having pressed-up portions forming abutting brackets near the ends of the bolster, which brackets are riveted together, substantially as speciiied.

5. A railway-car truck-bolster comprising top and bottom members forming a tru ss, and each consisting of a horizontal web with vertical edge flanges discontinued at and near the ends of the bolster and a verticallyftlanged spring-cap structure bolted to the angeless portion of the bolster at each end in order to stien and strengthen the same, substantially as specified.

6. A railway-car truck-bolster consisting of top and bottom members forming a truss, a verticallyflanged springcap structure secured to each end of the bolster and a springblock detachably secured within said springcap structure, substantially as specified.

7. A railway-car truck-bolster comprising top and bottom members forming a truss and having pressed-up portions forming abutting brackets near the ends of the bolster, and a vertically-flanged spring-cap secured to each end of the bolster and extending inwardly beyond said pressed-up portions of the same, substantially as specified.

8. A railwaycar truck-bolster comprising top and bottom members forming a truss, and a flanged spring-cap secured to each end of the bolster and having hollow side lugs struck up from the vertical anges of the cap for bearing against the column-posts, substantially as specified.Y

9. A railway-car truck-bolster comprising top and bottom members having pressed-up portions near each end forming abutting brackets having transverse webs at their inner ends, and side bearing-channels secured to the top member of the bolster in line with said pressed-up portions of the same, substantially as specified. l

10. A railway-car truck-bolster comprising top and bottom flanged members forming av 12. A railwaycar bolster comprising upper and lower members secured together at the ends and forming a truss with interposed cen# ter post comprising plates having pressed-up portions abutting and secured together, and reversely-bent portions above the same forming a pocket for the king-bolt, substantially as specie'd.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

A RNOLD STUCKI.

Witnesses:

THEO. C. STEINHENNER, RoBT. J. CLELAND. 

